I Have Money Now!

Yesterday I got a payday loan. Tomorrow I’m headed to New Zealand

I’m headed to New Zealand, because I have cash today, thanks to an online payday advance. Plenty of people will call that irresponsible, but plenty of people haven’t walked in my shoes. If you’ve been through the economic wringer in recent years, maybe you’ll get it. Or maybe you won’t. Either way, I’ve got money now and I’m going.

After two layoffs, I have money now

Two years ago, I was laid off from a good-paying job I’d had for several years. I collected unemployment for a few months and watched my retirement and investment accounts melt away like everyone else’s. I found a new, lower-paying job, but was laid off again after just a couple of months. This time, I didn’t qualify for unemployment benefits. After seven months, I was tapped out and couldn’t make my mortgage payment.

My head is barely above water, but I have money now

I managed to avoid a foreclosure with a lender-approved short sale, but everything I owned – other than my paid-off car and some beat-up furniture — was gone. I gave the furniture away and moved in with some friends. I finally found yet another even lower-paying job, and a couple months later, I was able to rent the apartment I have now. Luckily, I cut up my credit cards when I lost my first job, so I don’t have debts. My head is above water, but I’m still struggling to make ends meet.

The weather in New Zealand is perfect, and I have money now

I’m not in a stable financial place yet, but I’ve had my job long enough to get a personal loan. Now that I’ve got a little extra cash, I’m taking my life off hold. The coastline and mountains of New Zealand defy description. The whales are amazing. People say the Sauvignon blancs of the Marlborough region are better than the ones they make in Napa Valley. The air and water temperatures are perfect this time of year, and New Zealand is still a dollar-friendly place.

I have 23 hours plus a weekend, and I have money now, too

Last week I hit 23 hours of accumulated vacation time. Last night, I applied for an online payday loan. I had one in five minutes flat. The money was in my bank account this morning. I’ll pay it back out of my next paycheck and worry about how I’ll get by when it comes to that. Twenty-three paid hours plus a weekend isn’t at all enough time to visit New Zealand. Mostly I’ll be sitting on a plane. My grandmother is 94. I haven’t seen her in six years. She lives in Ashburton on the South Island. I fly out tomorrow morning.